Don't Run for This Cover

In many other places across the country, it gets cold, it snows, it warms up it melts. The snow is often dry and powdery and in some places seems to disappear like a frost-free fridge. But in the area surrounding Vancouver (usually referred to as 'the lower mainland') we'll have snow and then it warms up to rain. This results in very wet snow on the ground and driving conditions called 'slush'. But one of the problems with this heavy wet snow is the weight and it's been know to collapse many roofs and small buildings - usually only garden structures, but still something to watch for.

Years ago this 'pergola' was built for me using driftwood. For about the first 5 years it was very pretty with my wisteria, clematis and grape vines growing all around it, but then our next common garden problem (excluding slugs) occurred - the short time it takes for wood to rot. And one by one the supports started to weaken, and soon a 6' tall person could no longer stand upright under the 'roof'.

Last week's snow, followed by this week's rain was just too much weight and has really taken a toll on the old thing which is now just barely standing. In fact a 4' tall person probably couldn't stand upright in parts of it. I've tried to brace it with whatever pieces of wood I could find in my backyard under the snow, I'm not strong enough myself to brace it up more than this - see all the vertical pieces of wood and the uneven roof?

Almost all the wood is now rotten so it looks like this spring I'll be out there with my hedge trimmers and garden shears cutting it all back and possibly erecting some new lattice walls for the vines to grow on. I guess I know what I'll be doing in March or April!